Is It an Insect?
An insect that has strong jumping legs and is known for chirping.
What is a cricket?
In this year, the Black Plague, caused by Yersinia pestis and spread by fleas on rats, began devastating Europe, killing millions and reshaping history.
What is 1347?
This mosquito, Coquillettidia perturbans, gets its name from a wetland plant it relies on during its larval stage, using its siphon to attach to plant roots for oxygen instead of coming to the surface.
What is the Cattail Mosquito?
This virus, primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, gained global attention for its link to birth defects and its rapid spread across the Americas in 2015-2016.
What is Zika?
This tiny arachnid is responsible for spreading Lyme disease, often found in wooded and grassy areas where it latches onto hosts for a blood meal.
What is a deer tick?
An arachnid that is known for its mighty pinchers and stinger.
What is a scorpion?
In this year, Ronald Ross discovered that malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes.
What is 1897?
This mosquito, Deinocerites cancer, gets its name from its unique breeding habitat—burrows made by land crabs in coastal areas, where its larva develop in salty, oxygen-poor water.
What is the crabhole mosquito?
Often called "breakbone fever" due to its severe muscle and joint pain, this viral disease is spread primarily by Aedes mosquitoes and affects millions worldwide each year.
What is dengue?
This blood-feeding insect, known for its habit of biting around the mouth and eyes, transmits Chagas disease by defecating near the bite wound.
What is a kissing bug?
An insect that enjoys spending its days under rotting logs and in the shade. It also hisses as a way to scare off predators.
What is the Madagascar Hissing Roach?
The discovery that sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma parasites transmitted by tsetse flies was made in this year.
What is 1903?
This mosquito species, Aedes aegypti, is infamous for spreading deadly diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever, thriving in urban environments by laying eggs in small, stagnant water sources.
What is the Yellow Fever mosquito?
Caused by Plasmodium parasites and transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, this deadly disease is known for its cyclical fevers, chills, and severe complications, affecting millions worldwide.
What is malaria?
These small, wingless insects spread diseases like typhus and trench fever by feeding on human blood and living in clothing and bedding.
What are lice?
A black and red insect that is native to Florida and loves making its nest in soft wood. Though they don't sting, they do bite to defend their colony.
What is the Florida Carpenter Ant?
In this year, quinine became the first chemical compound used to effectively treat malaria, marking the first successful chemical treatment for an infectious disease.
What is 1932?
This black-and-white striped mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is a vector for diseases like dengue, Zika, and dog heartworm.
What is the Asian Tiger mosquito?
This virus is primarily spread by Culex mosquitoes and can cause flu-like symptoms, neurological complications, or even fatal encephalitis in severe cases.
What is West Nile virus?
These biting insects, often found near fast-moving rivers, transmit the parasite that causes river blindness (Onchocerciasis).
What are blackflies?
An arthropod known for having many legs. When alarmed they coil up and some excrete smelly toxins.
What is a millipede?
This year saw the publication of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, a groundbreaking book that exposed the dangers of pesticides like DDT and helped launch the modern environmental movement.
What is 1962?
This mosquito, Uranotaenia sapphirina, is known for its striking iridescent blue scales and its unusual preference for feeding on invertebrates such as leeches.
What is the Sapphire mosquito?
Named for the jaundice it can cause in severe cases, this viral disease is transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and historically led to devastating outbreaks in tropical regions, such as St. Augustine.
What is yellow fever?
These tiny, flying insects are the primary vectors of leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that affects millions worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions.
What are sandflies?